The Greatest Mother in the World
A seated nurse in a white veil cradles a stretcher-borne wounded soldier in the pose of a Madonna and child, beside a large red cross, under the caption 'The Greatest Mother in the World'. The poster borrows the emotional weight of motherhood and religious imagery for the Red Cross and names no specific request in its text.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1918
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- American Red Cross
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- NGO
- Regime
- Wilson Administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Fundraise
- Themes
- War and the military, Health, Gender and suffrage
- Event
- World War I
- Regime
- Wilson administration
- Leader
- Woodrow Wilson
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 4 (U.S. Food Administration), World War I Posters (NAID 512439), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- NARA Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
American Red Cross. National Archives and Records Administration, 4-P-218.
Text on the object
The GREATEST MOTHER in the WORLD A. E. FORINGER
The artist's signature is small and partly worn; a tiny printer's line at the lower right edge is illegible.
